Cheese or Cheesecake?

I am still unable to understand why my acquaintances from Munich always tried hard to convince me that Munich is a must visit city. I am here. Staying on Maistrasse. Wanting to run away. Don’t think I will last for a week. I think I am a Berlin fan.

There’s no one outside after 5 pm here. Or is it because it’s too cold?  But aren’t the locals used to of the temperature? Is a bit too cold and windy for me being in complete adaption of warm and pleasant temperature of Karachi.

So far the first two days have greeted us with much disappointment from farmer’s cheese failed search to darkness of the streets and nothing artistic in sight. Also experience with Vodafone’s rude salesperson who wasted our two precious days by making us go to the store repeatedly until the SIM started working (on third day).

The thing I have always enjoyed in Berlin earlier is the visit to the super market. I love the variety of vegetables, cheese, bread, juices and other tempting items, that for my financial capacity, seem pretty affordable and come with great quality (something I can never get in Karachi). Hence, I always end up with over-purchase out of greed. Yes I shop impulsively for groceries when I am in Europe. Driven by the same craving, I landed in the nearest supermarket in my street today and started my pursuit. Found some really appetizing salads but cheese was nowhere in sight. The commercial cheese never tempts my attention as we have them in abundance in Karachi.  A moderately allocated bakery in the market oozed the aroma of fresh bread. It was enough to activate my impulses into automatic mode and I walked to pick fresh bread (also an unavailable item in Pakistan) with my outstanding inquiry of cheese.

My simple question was “Excuse me, can you please tell me where I can find local farmer’s cheese?” The salesperson didn’t speak English. I spoke in German. “Wo kann ich Bauernkäse finden?“ (This should implement finding ‘anywhere’ in Munich.) The question mark sign on her face wiggled a bit but the punctuation persisted. I doubted my basic German language skills and tried one word communication, which is mostly found effective during travel. “ Käse???” (Three question marks presented my doubts with bend eyebrows.) (Or perhaps she was thinking I was so stupid I couldn’t find it on the rack.) The kind man behind me seemed like the possessor of some English language skills. I asked him about cheese. He translated to the lady. (Same German I spoke.) She still had no inkling about it. No problem. May be she was only equipped with bread knowledge. The man also had no idea what I was asking. He asked if I wanted cheesecake. (What???) I repeated my request but this time my hands somehow tried to draw a blank visual of cheese (simply impossible by the way. You can’t draw in air. Perhaps I found the need of sign language.) Other customers were seen having full engagement into my apparently interesting request and also because I was holding the line. Turned out no one knew what farmer’s cheese was (or perhaps, where it was). I am sure it’s Käse in German. I tried the same in the super market section but in vain. I had to give up but I kept wondering when these people travel to other countries, what do they call cheese over there? Strange it may sound, Berlin was full of bio stores where, you can see cheese right when you enter.

I bought the commercial cheese. Quel dommage !

(It was repeated EXACTLY the same in other two markets.)

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